Obamacare = Voter Registration; And It Is Worse Than We Thought *Open Thread*

There is much going on this week, including the terror attacks up in Ottawa and Quebec. Again, my thoughts and prayers are with the families of the lost soldiers, and for all Canadians.

As we prepare for the Mid-term elections, more information is coming out, and oh, wow, is it a doozy. The intrepid investigative journalist, Sharyl Attkisson, had a disturbing post the other day that connects signing up for the ACA and voter registration. Attkisson writes:

Last spring, John* purchased health insurance through the Washington State healthcare exchange. He was surprised when, last month, he received an email from the exchange at the address he’d provided when he signed up. The email was entitled, “Voter Registration Information.”

It read, in part: “ARE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? If you would like to register to vote or update your information, visit the Washington Secretary of State website at https://weiapplets.sos.wa.gov/myvote?

“I did think it was an effort to [register voters] for the Democrat party,” says John, a union member for the better part of four decades.

He wasn’t the only healthcare exchange customer to get the voter registration email.

The voter registration outreach is the result of an aggressive lobbying campaign. Advocacy groups pushed hard to argue that the new Obamacare healthcare exchanges fall under The National Voter Registration Act of 1993. It requires states to provide residents who are receiving public assistance opportunities to register to vote.

Some state officials had questioned whether the healthcare exchanges fell under the federal mandate or what the mandate required. And some activists raised objections to the idea of using Obamacare to register new voters.

California’s exchange was not initially registering voters, but soon faced legal challenges from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the League of Women Voters, and others.

Last March, the state headed off lawsuits by agreeing to send voter registration cards to 3.8 million Californians who applied for health insurance in time for the June 3 primary election. […] (Click here to read the rest.)

That is not at ALL disconcerting, is it? That the ACA has hitched its enrolment wagon to voter registration? Or that people assume it is to register as a Democrat? There is something seriously, seriously wrong with this. And of course, all the usual suspects are involved in pushing this. Shocking, I know.

Well, there is another thing coming out of California that is just shocking. Where the ACLU is on this I have no clue. But I find this to be extraordinarily disturbing. From WND:

California has changed its state health insurance rules to require that churches pay for elective abortions, drawing protest from some of the largest pro-life legal teams in the nation and a formal complaint.

“Forcing a church to be party to elective abortion is one of the utmost-imaginable assaults on our most fundamental American freedoms,” said Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Casey Mattox.

Mattox said California “is flagrantly violating the federal law that protects employers from being forced into having abortion in their health insurance plans.”

“No state can blatantly ignore federal law and think that it should continue to receive taxpayer money,” he said.

The case is just the latest in recent months against aggressive federal and state government efforts to force religious individuals and organizations to fund abortion, including through Obamacare.

How in the HELL can this be?? How can the state COMPEL churches to pay for ELECTIVE abortions?? I was absolutely stunned when I heard this on the news this morning, and leapt to the computer to look it up – sure enough, article after article after article cropped up on this issue, beginning back in August. How I missed this, I don’t know. But it sounds like California has doubled down by adding a threat to the churches. According to the WND article, a number of churches have filed a complaint with HHS, and this is why:

“The insurers were instructed to amend their policies to remove any limitations on health coverage for abortions, such as excluding coverage for ‘voluntary’ or ‘elective’ abortions or limiting coverage to ‘therapeutic’ or ‘medically necessary’ abortions,” explains the complaint, which is joined by the Life Legal Defense Foundation.

“Insurers have confirmed to some of the churches that these changes have already been made in their plans over their objections,” the letter says.

But the state refused to include an exemption for “religious employers.”

“This directive of the DMHC constitutes unlawful discrimination against a health care entity,” the letter said. “DMHC is ‘subject[ing] complainants’ ‘health insurance plan’ ‘to discrimination,’ by denying its approval of the plan that omitted elective abortions, solely ‘on the basis that the [plan] does not … provide coverage of … abortions.’” […] (Click here to read the rest.)

Now, I am no attorney, but this seems to CLEARLY contravene the Constitution, and the law. How in the world can California get away with this?? It is simply immoral, and unethical, to force religious organizations to pay for something that is fundamentally against their beliefs and traditions.

[…] What we’ve learned is that the Obamacare gains in coverage were largely a result of the Medicaid expansion and that most of the gain in private coverage through the government exchanges was offset by a decline in employer-based coverage. In other words, it is likely that most of the people who got coverage through the exchanges were already insured.

[…]

Our analysis of the data is reported in more detail in our latest paper, but our key findings are that in the first half of 2014:

•Enrollment in individual-market plans (both on and off the exchanges) increased by 6,254,564 individuals.
•Enrollment in private employer-sponsored group plans declined by 3,788,978 individuals.
•In the states implementing the Obamacare Medicaid expansion, enrollment in Medicaid grew by 5,716,977 individuals.
•In the states not implementing the Obamacare Medicaid expansion, enrollment in Medicaid grew by 355,674 individuals.

Applying a little arithmetic to those four key data points yields the following observations:
1.The drop in employment-based coverage offset 61 percent of the gains in individual-market coverage, for a net increase in private-sector coverage of 2,465,586 individuals.
2.Total Medicaid enrollment increased by 6,072,651 individuals, with 94 percent of that growth occurring in the states that adopted the Obamacare Medicaid expansion.
3.The total, net increase in health insurance coverage (private-market and Medicaid combined) during the first half of 2014 was 8,538,237 individuals, but 71 percent of that coverage gain was attributable to Obamacare expanding Medicaid to able-bodied, working-age adults […] (Click here to read the rest.)

How disturbing is that? The data backs up precisely what most of us have been saying all along.

What a debacle this law is to our nation on oh-so-many levels. At least that’s what I think. How about you?

64 Responses to “Obamacare = Voter Registration; And It Is Worse Than We Thought *Open Thread*”

Great piece Amy (Oh I have been Lurking)…
Here is some interesting information due to the current attempt to stuff a ballot box with 100 or so votes..
I do believe extra votes is why the Dems and Obama want the Illegals qualified to vote. I also have a feeling that they have been using the Illegals for Illegal voting for many years now; (2008? too). I believe the use of the Illegals for Illegal voting in the past is one of the reasons Obama is catering to the Illegals and treating better than even our vets; Obama has to pay them back for their Illegal vote/s in the past.
Strange that we have not heard about the magic of New York City that has almost 100 people over 150 years old registering to vote(At end of snippet)…Hmm maybe we should all move to New York City if life longevity is that long. Maybe we should all move to New York City if we want to live past a hundred.
STUFFED BALLOTS, RIGGED VOTING MACHINES, AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS VOTING(Snippet from article)
We’re reminded of the case of Melowese Richardson, the Hamilton County, Ohio, poll worker who was convicted of casting multiple votes for President Obama. When the Virginia Voter Alliance cross-checked voter rolls in Virginia and Maryland, it announced that it had turned up 44,000 people registered to vote in both states at the same time. The group also identified 31,000 dead voters via the Social Security Administration’s Death Master File.

Just this week, an Arizona ballot monitor caught a man wearing a Citizens for a Better Arizona T-shirt stuffing hundreds of early ballots in a ballot box, while guerrilla filmmaker James O’Keefe revealed undercover footage of liberal activists in Colorado urging him to fill out unused ballots, a violation of the law. Also in Colorado, campaign workers have been going door to door, asking voters for mail-in ballots, a practice some fear could be abused.
Meanwhile, in New York City, it’s official: There are 850 registered voters who are officially listed as 164 years old or older

I heard them talking this morning abt the illegal aliens who may have voted in NC due to getting DMV IDs. They have to figure out how to give them IDs (which I still think is WRONG – but, thanks for this, Obama), from being eligible to vote.

All that is to say, I suspect you are right abt the number of illegals voting, and why Obama is kowtowing to them so much. Democrats always scoff at the mention of them buying votes in essence by allowing illegals in, but it sure does appear to be the case, does it not?

Can you BELIEVE that ballot stuffing in AZ?? The big problem is, because of Hispanic groups in AZ, that is a PERFECTLY legal thing to be able to do (from what I read). That speaks volumes right there, doesn’t it? I think they are working on fixing that, but yeah, while it was illegal for a short period, the Latino groups pitched a fit, so they made it just peachy keen-o to be able to do what that man did. How abt them apples, huh? Amazing.

Dang, that’s a Biblical kind of age to still be around to vote! But Kin, you know there is no voter fraud – the Democrats have told us so!!

Good post, Rev Amy. My thoughts are with Canada today. At the moment we have the most beautiful maple leaves floating to the ground and in the rain it almost seems as if the trees are crying.

Forcing churches to pay for something they believe is immoral is really appalling. The whole thing quickly becomes an obvious power play and not about healthcare at all when you start looking at cost. Things that are expensive are like heart medication, diabetes meds, MRI’s, heck, treatment for urinary track infections can go into the thousands. Birth control and abortion are relatively inexpensive and easily available. Also, in the back of my mind is this awareness that we care so much about making sure women are constantly available for sex with out inconvenience, and so little about whether or not women are healthy in general. If somebody has an infected tooth that becomes life threatening, well you’re simply out of luck, but if you don’t have access to free birth control it’s like some kind of humanitarian issue.

Every time you think the left has gone as far as it can to erode our civil liberties, they go farther. People on the left, and I include my neighbors and former friends, who can still support the Democrat Party as as guilty as the media that shills for them.

We keep asking how can they get away with this as they keep getting away with assaults on the Constitution and on the rights of Americans. The answer is that the left has been working on this for generations. They pack the courts whenever they have the opportunity and their “judges” care little for the law and more for ideology.

If someone tells you this is a “Nation of Laws”, laugh in their face. It is no longer and hasn’t been since Obama came on the scene. Watch and see what he does with his damn pen and phone after November 4th, win or lose the Senate. He is a corrupt and lawless man and his party supports what he does because it is in tune with their ideology. Ditto Dem voters.

As I have said before, there are many bad Republicans. There are NO good Democrats. Not any longer.

Sadly, I fear you are right, Marge – we seem to have lost, make that RELINGUISHED, the moniker, “Nation of Laws.” Obama has broken the laws SO many times with no consequences, and now we are seeing communities given carte blanche to break the law without consequence, and states getting in on it too, because they KNOW THEY CAN. That is beyond upsetting.

Thanks for the comment – I hate to think this is what has happened to our country, but the proof is in the pudding…

Anyone seen this—looks like the voting machines are voting for the Dems again; regardless of whose name you put in.
Democrat Cheating Begins – Rigged Voting Booths in Illinois
E Pluribus Unum — October 23, 2014
The conservative website Illinois Review reported that “While using a touch screen voting machine in Schaumburg, Moynihan voted for several races on the ballot, only to find that whenever he voted for a Republican candidate, the machine registered the vote for a Democrat in the same race. He notified the election judge at his polling place and demonstrated that it continued to cast a vote for the opposing candidate’s party. Moynihan was eventually allowed to vote for Republican candidates, including his own race.
Read more at http://joeforamerica.com/2014/10/democrat-cheating-begins-rigged-voting-booths-illinois/

That kind of corruption is a way of life in Illinois. Everyone knows it. It’s talked about opening and NOTHING is ever done about it. What kind of a country do we have where such a thing is not only possible it’s possible for generations.

Sigh – what a big ol’ surprise. But hey, when the people who VOTED for this hadn’t read it, we can’t exactly expect Joe Blow Citizen to know what’s in it, can we? (Of course we can – people should know what laws, especially one taking up 1/6th of the economy, say. Then again, Obama keeps changing it, so who can blame them?)

so if abortion is a healthcare issue, shouldn’t murder be too? . I take blood pressure medicine and the person makes my blood pressure go up so I killed them. My blood pressure went down and now I am more healthy

That happened here in Charleston. One of the football players, a Black kid, said HE is the one who started it – they smashed the watermelon because they had nothing to cut it with. It was a post-game celebration, and became a ritual after winning games.

This whole brouhaha was started by parents from ANOTHER school – the losing one, that is. They were the ones who started all this crap – talk abt your bad sports.

Yes, we should. And Greg Gutfeld was spot on abt calling terrorism what it is – terrorism, like Canada does. Clearly, the people who are in the know are concerned, but the Administration REFUSES to divulge this information lest it upset the Ben Afflecks among them…

Judge Napolitano said on “Special Report” there is no such thing as “First Lady of the Justice Department,” and that Holder’s mother and wife absolutely do NOT fit into the categories that permit Executive Privilege. He went on abt it, and it was very good. He added if Holder mentioned it to his dogwalker, his wife, mother, they can be compelled to speak. If he put it in an email, there is no privilege.

And the bit abt Kimberly Guilfoyle by Media Matters is SO, SO telling. I saw that episode – she was VERY clear she was speaking specifically abt jury selection. That they put words in her mouth abt voting says EVERYTHING abt them.

And why in the HELL does Media Matters still have non-profit status???

WAHOO!!!! This is AWESOME news, Foxy! I know it is a day later than you wanted, but still – fantastic!! So happy for you!

Hey. I know something that will help in your recovery. I just got an email from the Charleston Animal Society (we got two of our cats from there – great, no-kill shelter here). Their big fundraiser is a Firefighters Calendar. I am not kidding: http://charlestonfirefightercalendar.com/

Such good news Foxy! I am so happy for you. Being home is a kind of cure in itself isn’t it? Anyway, at least we all know your “release” date now and can celebrate that you are no longer medically incarcerated. Much ♥

way off topic
I just watched the movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. I never realized how many songs that I loved were written by Johnnie Mercer.
On my way to Fla we stopped for a short time in Savannah. I have decided that I want to go back for a weekend and just explore. It is such a beautiful city

Savannah is a beautiful city, no doubt abt it. But you know I am partial to Charleston! If you are ever up this way, or want to be, let me know – I would gladly show you around (and I have guest space!).

Good mornin’ all—-Cuz , the news is almost too much to take in, isn’t it….?! But thanks for laying it all out..
All of it unbelievable: the voting fraud in Chicago, etc. etc….Well, at least Dems are consistent!